On March 30, at Koshien Stadium.
Half an hour before the game, the entire stadium was packed. Tickets had sold out two weeks in advance.
Over a dozen TV stations, more than twenty online media outlets, and countless newspapers and magazines sent their personnel for coverage.
This match was of immense importance to them.
The cheerleading squads from both teams had traveled all the way from Tokyo. To match Seidou High School's momentum, Inajitsu High School had gone to great lengths.
They even pulled students from their school to form a cheerleading team.
Occupying half the stands, their display was truly spectacular.
"Shameless!"
The plump principal of Seidou High School was livid. Inajitsu High School was incredibly audacious; had he known they would bring people, he would have done the same.
It was truly surprising.
When Seidou High School won the summer Koshien championship, they didn't rally their students.
He regretted it deeply, wishing he could turn back time.
'Next time, I will definitely bring Seidou's students along.'
As for whether there would be another chance, the principal was quite confident.
With their strength, entering Koshien was only a matter of time.
Seidou High School's fans were also numerous. With the support of Sawamura's fan club, their momentum was even greater.
In terms of cheerleaders, both sides were evenly matched.
Today's game reached an unprecedented level of live viewers. According to the commentator's statistics,
Half an hour before the match, nearly 20 million viewers were locked in front of their TVs or online.
The match hadn't even started yet, and the excitement was already off the charts.
This was truly astonishing.
Thinking back, it wasn't surprising; the media had hyped this match to the skies, and curiosity naturally drew people in.
Not to mention, the two teams from Tokyo had successfully met in the finals for the first time in Koshien history.
Such an event is a rare occurrence in a lifetime.
Baseball fans certainly didn't want to miss it.
So, they cheered for the players on the field like a tsunami.
Fifteen minutes before the match, players from both teams entered the field one after another.
As soon as the players stepped onto the field, they were met with cheers that roared like a tidal wave.
"Sawamura!"
"Demon King!"
"Miyuki!"
"Narumiya!"
"Mei!"
"Furuya!"
"Carlos!"
The most attention was, of course, on the star players from each team.
They were like real celebrities; as soon as they entered the field, they were instantly adored.
This feeling made one's blood boil.
Even the surrounding audience, who didn't shout their names, felt their own excitement surge.
It was as if they were standing not in Koshien Stadium, but on an actual battlefield.
They were no longer just baseball players but warriors ready to charge.
The two teams were destined for a fierce showdown.
Beyond this, many scouts were present.
They came from various teams, all aspiring to claim the national championship.
For them, Seidou High School and Inajitsu High School were the biggest obstacles in their path.
However, this obstacle was enormous, and they couldn't possibly move it on their own.
At this moment, they naturally needed to learn from the experiences of others, observing how others moved the boulder in front of them.
Seidou High School and Inajitsu High School were not unfamiliar with each other.
The two teams had faced off twice in the past year.
The first time was in the final of the West Tokyo Summer Competition.
The second time was in the third round of the Tokyo Autumn Competition.
Both teams had one win and one loss against each other.
Now, as sworn rivals within the same region, they would surely expose some weaknesses of their opponents.
And these weaknesses might be unknown to other teams.
After all, their research on the two teams was still quite basic, unlike the depth of understanding that these two rivals had developed.
"After the new team was formed, I feel like Inajitsu High School is stronger than Seidou High School," Owada Akiko murmured.
Though she was a die-hard fan of Seidou's baseball team, even she had to admit Inajitsu High School's terrifying strength.
From their previous encounters, Inajitsu seemed slightly stronger.
"That's not entirely true. Last summer, Seidou High School made it to the finals at Koshien. At that time, it was undoubtedly their best result.
However, for the newly formed team, it's not the same. First of all, they have to bear the weight of being champions. Other teams are very wary of Seidou High School, making it hard for them to arrange serious practice matches.
Without proper competition, it's difficult for them to develop as a team, which is one issue.
Secondly, Seidou High School reached the finals at Koshien a full month later than Inajitsu High School.
This gap is significant! The perception that Inajitsu is stronger than Seidou is largely due to these objective factors. True strength may not be so clear-cut."
Now, after six months of adjustment, that one-month gap should have been bridged.
What kind of fighting strength could the two teams exhibit?
It was genuinely intriguing.
Moreover, both teams' Ace pitchers were currently out of the equation.
This left a significant suspense hanging over today's match.
Just as Fujio was explaining this to Akiko, the atmosphere on the field suddenly shifted.
The commentator enthusiastically announced,
"On the Koshien field, two teams from the same region have finally met in the finals. This is the first time in spring Koshien history, and it is destined to be a match that will go down in history. Let us remember the names of these two teams: Inajitsu High School from West Tokyo and the reigning kings, Seidou High School from West Tokyo."
The commentator's words resonated deeply with everyone present.
Yes, this was destined to be a game that would be remembered.
And they were witnesses to this momentous occasion.
Coach Kataoka, wearing sunglasses, keenly sensed this energy. Just before the players were about to take the field, he suddenly called Miyuki aside.
"Let's do it again!"
Even at Koshien, the Seidou High School chant isn't shouted before every game.
In this year's Spring Koshien, they only did it once before the match against Komadai Fujimaki High School.
Miyuki looked at Coach Kataoka, puzzled. "Do you want me to shout again?"
With a cold expression, Coach Kataoka gave nothing away.
But inexplicably, Miyuki felt a certainty in his heart.
It seemed it was needed.
The Coach had made this clear.
Since it was the finals, shouting once more didn't seem like a big deal.
Or perhaps, he too was secretly looking forward to this moment.
"Let's do it!"
At Miyuki's call, the 18 members of the Seidou High School team formed a huge circle around him.
Miyuki stood at the center.
As the scene unfolded, the audience was the first to erupt in excitement.
"It's here!"
"It's coming!!"
They gazed at the players on the field with fiery eyes, as if they were on stimulants.
The anticipation in their hearts was overwhelming.
Waiting for the moment to explode.
Miyuki, who is in the center of the circle wanted to say a few words first.
"It is the Koshien finals…"
The players smiled when they heard that.
They had made it here!
They made it to the end!
"And our opponent is someone we have been burning to face too."
Some players glanced at Inajitsu at the other dugout, all the players had a fierce glint in their eyes.
The loss was still fresh in their mind, the bitterness, the frustration, and determination were fanned and flared all of this time, not snuffed nor extinguished.
"We Train Hard For This, We Have Done Our Best! We Won't Let Our Senpais Down! We Won't Let Our Teammates Down! We Won't Let Ourselves Down Again!"
"YEEEAAAHH!!!" The player responded with their souls!
All the negative feelings the players have turned into motivation. The fire burning in their heart turned into flames under them pushing them to move forward.
"THE ODDS? ACCIDENTS? SO WHAT?! SEIDOU'S SPIRIT IS NOT THAT LIGHT!!!"
"OOOOOOHHH!!!!"
"NOW WE WILL TAKE OUR REVENGE!!! AND TAKE THE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK AS A REWARD!!!!!"
Miyuki shouted loudly from the center of the circle,
"BECAUSE WHO ARE WE!!!!?"
Upon hearing this question, the Seidou High School baseball team felt their adrenaline surge.
Their eyes seemed ready to burst into flames.
That fire could burn everything.
"KING SEIDOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
They answered just as loudly.
"WHO SHED SWEAT MORE THAN ANYONE???!!!!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"WHO SHED TEARS MORE THAN ANYONE???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"SEIDOUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
"BEARING PRIDE IN OUR HEARTS, WE ONLY HAVE ONE GOAL!!!! THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET'S GO!!!!!"
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
At that moment, every member of the Seidou High School baseball team, whether on the field, on the stand, or even watching from their homes, all of them shouted and pointed their fingers skyward!
Tens of thousands of people in the Koshien stadium echoed their wolf-like roar.
Everyone was immersed in emotion and enthusiasm.
"Look at their cheer! Ours seems so weak in comparison!" Narumiya, sitting on the bench, vented angrily.
Though he never regretted leaving Seidou for Inajitsu, he couldn't help but feel envious.
Not to mention how cool that chant was!
'How impressive!'
Unintentionally, Narumiya's words struck a chord with Coach Kunitomo, who wore a stern expression.
During Seidou High School's decline, their ability to recruit talented players was likely linked to this cheer.
'As Narumiya said, it was simply too appealing for teenagers.'
'And that appeal itself is a tremendous attraction.'
Inajitsu High School also planned to come up with a catchy slogan.
But that was a story for another day, unrelated to today's game.
Both teams stood in line and looked at each other with fiery eyes, looking ready for A WAR!
And either by chance or deliberate, Narumiya and Sawamura were standing in front of each other.
"We meet again," Sawamura said softly.
"And the result will be the same," Narumiya replied with confidence.
"Sorry, but that is not our call this time."
Sawamura's words made the spirit of the two teams shoot toward the sky!!
As they both are in a similar situation, they understand what he meant by that.
And both of them wanted the call to be theirs!
The umpires looked at the two teams and wondered if they were shooting drama without them knowing.
Why did the situation become so dramatic?
"BOW!!" The Umpire announced hastily before the players started brawling or something.
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!!!"
"PLEASED TO PLAY WITH YOU!!!!"
In this tense atmosphere, the match began.
Both teams' Aces took the field, but neither was on the mound. They were positioned almost identically.
Left fielder!
After a day of rest, Narumiya seemed to have regained some energy.
In this match, Inajitsu High School was the first to attack.
Carlos stepped into the Batter's Box, facing Seidou's pitcher, Furuya Satoru.
In the previous game against Komadai Fujimaki High School, Furuya had made a stunning debut.
Now, he had earned a reputation as one of the nation's top pitchers.
'Besides Sawamura, there's another guy like this on the Seidou High School baseball team! It's really exciting!'
Carlos took an eager stance, seeming ready to hit the opponent's ball out of the park.
'Bring it on!'
Seeing the motivated Carlos, Miyuki, catching for Furuya, remained calm.
He casually signaled to Furuya and positioned his mitt.
He looked confident.
What no one knew was that Miyuki was already prepared to take risks.
After all, how much worse could it get?
'In this situation, it was better to let Furuya pitch freely and help him find his rhythm.'
'If he could stabilize his performance today, maintaining the same strength he had shown against Komadai Fujimaki High School, that would be ideal.'
If it didn't work out, Seidou would have to adjust their offense.
Miyuki wasn't lacking confidence in that regard.
Seidou's lineup might struggle against Narumiya, but when facing Hirano, it was a different story.
There were countless batters in Seidou capable of hitting against him.
If we talk about hitting power, there was still a significant gap between this lineup and previous third-year seniors.
But when it came to skillful play...
'Even if we brought back those third-year Senpais, they might not be better than this team.'
Unlike the team that fought to the end, this current Seidou High School lineup lacked raw power.
But they had plenty of batters who knew various tricks.
And such a lineup undoubtedly gave pitchers a headache.
Roaar!!
Furuya's first pitch was unleashed.
The speed was astounding, like a shockwave to the soul.
Carlos, in the Batter's Box, did not swing his bat; he just stood there, stunned.
'So fast?!'
Even with mental preparation, seeing Furuya pitch for the first time left Carlos in shock.
'How could the ball be this fast?'
…
T/N: And the Finals starts!!!
Well, that's it for today.
As always, Thank you all for reading!!
Have a good day!
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